Masamune
Masamune is a genin from Amegakure and a member of Team Kijo, alongside Shinen Uchiha and Magai. Partially due to his upbringing and training, Masamune was regarded as the best swordsman of his generation within the Hidden Rain Village. Background Masamune's family emigrated from the to Amegakure during the . Despite the Iron lands' neutrality, Masamune's family believed that they had to fight for what is right, becoming ninja of the Land of Rain in order to help the country survive the war. Masamune's family remained in the village ever since. Growing up, Masamune was taught both ninja and samurai techniques. Although he accepted his samurai heritage, Masamune refused to accept his ninja upbringing. He questioned why the samurai were not respected, to which his parents were unable to give an answer that satisfied him. It did not make sense to him that the ninja was preferred over the samurai when the samurai of the Land of Iron were able to survive as the dominant military force. In the village academy, Masamune was proficient in taijutsu studies, but fell behind in ninjutsu and genjutsu due to his refusal to learn them any more than he had to in order to graduate. His picky choice of studies was a frequent matter of frustration to the leader of his post-graduation squad leader, Kijo Fukeshū. Despite this, Masamune's skills in taijutsu were valuable for the team's coordination. Team Kijo quickly became one of the Rain Village's most promising teams of genin, regularly receiving C-ranked missions in the months leading up to the Chūnin Exams hosted by their home village. It was through these various missions that Team Kijo developed their teamwork strategies and tactics, with Masamune playing a central role in the team's strategies as the vanguard. They even were given a B-ranked mission, although the mission pushed the team to its limits and the members were advised to stick to C-ranked missions in the near future. Appearance Masamune is fairly skinny for his height. However, that is not to say that he is not physically fit. Due to his lack of jutsu, Masamune focuses heavily on being capable of handling the stresses associated with combat. His dark hair is only minimally kept, tying the excess hair into a ponytail to keep out of his face. His face shows signs of mostly faded scars from sword wounds he accumulated over time. As a child, Masamune dressed in traditional Japanese clothing, as was tradition within his family. When he became a genin, he retained the Japanese clothing, but tied them close to his body to prevent the loose clothing from getting in the way of his movements. When Masamune grew older, he began wearing a two-colored, sleeveless obi with warmers tied to his forearms over his clothes. Personality Although growing up in a shinobi community, Masamune stubbornly refuses to learn ninja techniques any more than he had to in order to graduate from Ame's Shinobi Academy School. He believes in the potential of mastering samurai techniques, in order to bring about a new respect for samurai. He dreamed of a world where the samurai returned as a formidable military power. However, Masamune does realize that he is following the path of a samurai in a world where ninjas dominate and respects the utility of ninjas. He is not afraid of admitting that one of his companions' skills would be better suited for a task, but will not be afraid of helping in some capacity. Being told that Magai is from the prestigious Uzumaki clan by his companion Shinen, Masamune felt pressured to feel as though he is not a burden or letting his team down. Although he knows that his stubborn view towards ninjutsu and related studies limits his capacity to help Magai and Shinen, Masamune refuses to change his ways to complement the team, believing in the samurai way. Abilities Although Masamune is capable of performing basic jutsu to a satisfactory level in the village academy, it is largely insufficient for use in the field. Instead, Masamune trains himself in the use of samurai techniques shown to him by his father. Chakra control and reserves As one of the only things that Masamune is not resistant to learning, as it can easily be applied to samurai techniques, Masamune is fairly proficient in the control of his chakra flow. This enables him to climb buildings, although he is not quite at the level to be able to walk on water. The skill is involved in Masamune's ability to utilize his sword in combat, so Masamune considers mastering control over his chakra a high priority. Kenjutsu Masamune's greatest strength is in his technique in the use of a sword. Although he considered using two swords in the past, he found a two-sword style to be unwieldy, despite experimenting with various sword lengths and combinations. With a single sword, Masamune can hold in two hands to maximize the strength of a cut, as well as hold the weapon in one hand if he needs to use the other for a different task. Masamune's sword was given to him by his father and is named Akatsubame (朱きじ; "Crimson Swallow"). It is capable of acting as a conductor for chakra, in order to use unique techniques. However, although Masamune is aware of this, his ability to use the sword is limited to creating a limited duration form of Yasuo's Breath. His most practiced skill is iaidō, allowing him to interrupt hand seals. The skill is also useful for general attacks against the enemy, due to its respectable speed. However, iaidō's short range meant that Masamune usually had to charge at his enemy before the hand seal combination could be completed. He developed and is in the process of refining the Turning Swallow. It is designed to deliver brute force at his opponent, breaking through defenses and injuring anyone hiding behind them with precise cuts to the same vector. However, Masamune has not yet mastered the movements required for the technique and can unintentionally end the technique early with a miscalculated cut. Since he lacks a library of jutsu to call on in combat, Masamune favors aggressive combat to prevent his enemy from using theirs. He will not hesitate to close distances before his opponent can activate techniques and is fairly adaptable from being accustomed to this shortcoming. Masamune's training is extensive enough for him to adapt various strategies using the sword, combining passive, defensive stances with aggressive, killing cuts. Although he trains rigorously for death blows, Masamune also trains in the use of non-lethal cuts, typically to cause enough blood loss to subdue his opponent, at Kijo's insistence. He is also not opposed to using taijutsu-like moves in his attacks, though he prefers not to. Intelligence The need to adapt to the abilities of his opponents made Masamune perceptive in determining the effects of abilities used by others. He is quick to catch on to secondary effects of complex jutsu, using that knowledge to determine his next course of action. Masamune can also pick up movements around him when he focuses on sensing others, separating the sources of different sounds by ear. However, Masamune has fully developed his sensory abilities. Stats Synopsis Masamune first appeared in the Chūnin exams, hosted by the Hidden Rain, in the company of his teammates Shinen and Magai of Team Kijo. However, the team was not successful in receiving a promotion and Kijo began preparations for their attempt next year. However, Masamune had different plans. He abandoned the village and fled to the , where he took odd jobs to scrape by a living. However, Masamune broke his sword Akatsubame on one of those jobs. Masamune eventually found a blacksmith who was generous enough to repair Masamune's sword. However, Masamune lost the resolve to pursue his dream for a future for the samurai and settled down as the blacksmith's apprentice. He eventually took over the business, becoming respected at his new art. While he was looking for iron to smelt for new weapons, Masamune found a meteorite. It was considered very difficult to forge a weapon from meteors, so Masamune took it as a challenge of his craft. He was able to complete the sword after nine days, having to spend extra time shaping the blade due to its unusually hardened composition. Masamune kept the sword for himself: recognizing it as his greatest achievement. Trivia * Masamune Date is the namesake of the character, known as the "One-Eyed Dragon" in the late-16th century. Although the Date clan supported the Tokugawa shogunate's rise to power, they were considered outsiders and not trusted by the shogun. The clan still survives today. * Masamune is also the name of a famous swordsmith, reputed as Japan's greatest in the profession. Quotes *''"There are so many great people around me. I cannot afford to hold them back."'' References